DUIT RAYA, whatever the amount, was initially a donation the poor and needy. But as time evolved, it has become expensive gift to the children of neighbours, families and friends ― and a compulsory one at that, writes Aliza Shah.
SHOUTS of assalamualaikum will reverberate in a sing-song manner as soon as the Hari Raya Aidilfitri congregation adjourns from the mosque.
Phrases like “kami datang nak raya” will usually accompany the Muslim greeting of peace proclaimed by youngsters at the front door of many houses.
The children, looking resplendent in their Hari Raya garments, will go house-to-house on the first day of festivities — their main objective is to collect as much dough as they can.
It has become a tradition for Malaysians to give out duit raya to young ones who come a-calling.
While it is not documented in history as to when this tradition started and by whom, it is believed to be linked to the Islamic teaching of giving alms, or sedekah, especially to the needy.
Associate Professor Dr Norazlina Mohd Kiram, a lecturer at the Malay Language Department of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, said besides sedekah, the tradition also teaches the young ones the importance of sharing.
It also helps to cultivate the value of saving and learning to spend wisely.
“It started off as a donation to children and those in need. Besides making them happy, it is also given to teach them about the importance of saving.
“Back then, the recipients will save the money and use it to pay their school fees, buy books or other necessities. Kids these days, however, spend it on their whim.”
Norazlina said the changing times and other cultural practices had influenced the Malay giving of duit raya.
“In the past, we didn’t have money packets or what we call sampul duit raya. People would actually think it is weird to put the money in packets. But things have since changed, and this may be due to the Chinese influence of giving angpows during Chinese New Year.”
She also said before, it was common to give only coins, and the recipients would be more than happy to accept them.
The joy of receiving would come at the end of the day, when everybody gathered to count their collection.
Unfortunately, this is no longer the case today. Instead, the act of giving duit raya has become “compulsory”.
What is astounding is that some recipients have started expecting a “minimum” sum in their collection, she said.
“In the past, giving alms didn’t necessarily constitute money. The houseowner would invite the children to come in and serve them food. This was the time when they got the opportunity to fellowship with each other and build relationships.
“Nowadays, children set out with the goal of getting how much they want. Something like RM2 is deemed too low,” she said.
Due to high expectations, Norazlina said some houseowners no longer wanted to make an effort to bond with the children.
“In fact, the faster the kids leave, the better they feel,” she said.
She added that duit raya was not only given to those in a certain age.
“Initially, it was given to those in need. Those days, people didn’t care whether the recipient was single or married. If the giver felt like sharing more, then he would give more.
“These days, children have become the main beneficiaries.”
She also said as duit raya was now considered a “gift”, there were those who would feel ashamed if they could not meet the children’s expectations.
“Some feel so bad that they will not open their house when they hear the children calling simply because they cannot afford to give duit raya,” she said.
Children, too, will target certain houses because they know the host is generous.
Norazlina said the act of giving and receiving would be more meaningful if parents educated their children to be tactful and become gracious recipients.
Meanwhile, historian Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim said the Malays had integrated the Chinese practice of using paper packets in their tradition of giving.
“In the case of Muslims, they don’t use red. Green is preferred as it is associated with Islam. The Chinese favour red because it symbolises prosperity.”
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